It is well known in motor vehicles to provide an air bag module mounted to a vehicle steering wheel. A typical driver's side air bag module includes a generally circular inflator positioned partially within a bag opening of an air bag for discharging inflator gas into the air bag upon sensing certain predetermined vehicle conditions. Also in the air bag module, the inflator and air bag typically are housed within a housing and covered by a cover. Many air bag modules include a base plate having a central circular plate opening surrounded by a plurality of stud members which are used to mount o the fully-assembled air bag module to a hub portion of the steering wheel. It is desirable to have the air bag module assembled as a subassembly which can later be installed onto the hub portion of the steering wheel. This is typically accomplished by the air bag, inflator, housing and cover each being mounted to the base plate. It is also desirable for the inflator to be the final component which is added to the air bag module since it requires the most careful handling during the assembly process.
To accomplish facile assembly of the air bag module, the prior art has disclosed mechanisms permitting easy snap-fitted attachment of the air bag and cover to the base plate. The prior art has also disclosed mechanisms permitting easy snap-fitted attachment of the stud members of the base plate to the hub portion of the steering wheel.
However, attachment of the inflator to the base plate has typically been accomplished by using a multiplicity of fasteners, such as multiple rivets or bolts and nuts. This typical inflator attachment arrangement increases the number of components, manufacturing costs, and assembly time of the air bag module.